Food Allergy Counseling

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Have you heard of DIVVIES yet? If you haven’t, you soon will. Inspired by the Sandler’s son Benjamin and his allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, milk and eggs, Divvies manufactures cookies, cupcakes, flavored popcorns and candies in an allergen-free facility. Yay!

Lucky me, they sent me some goodies to taste test. They use wheat and soy products so I couldn't indulge as I’m off those things lately. But it proved a great excuse to gather a panel of some former vegans and some “regular” eaters to test drive the yummies.

My panel included in alpha order:Bo-former vegan who has some food allergies but not to nuts.Casey-meat eater extraordinaire who doesn’t eat veggies EVER and loves those cookies from IKEA.Dani-mindful eater who does raw/juice fast every now and then and eats vegan desserts.Phil-meat and potatoes man who loves his hostess cupcakes.Stephanie-allergic to eggs, keeps kosher and was vegetarian for a short while.

Here are the results of our tasting:The Divvies packaging is outstanding. The candy came in light blue stripped paper baggies; the cookies came in a beautiful gift box. It was like getting presents from a high-end dept store. This alone makes Divvies an easy choice for gift giving this season to your favorite vegan, kosher-keeping person or allergic girl or guy.

Candy: -The jellybeans and rock candy were an easy thumbs up. I just got an email from an offsite taster, who after receiving leftover jellybeans asked if there were any more left. A good sign.

Popcorns: -The kettle corn was the biggest hit out of everything and with all tasters. Salty and sweet with a hint of vanilla, it’s an easy choice for gifting or snacking and was quickly snapped up. -The caramel corn was also a hit but with a caveat. The taste, sweetness level and carmelosity varied noticeably between the two bags. However, tasters noted they wouldn’t have noticed the discrepancy if they hadn’t had the two bags side by side. In fact one taster said that she “LOVED the caramel corn. It was addictive. I finished my [leftover] baggie in one day.”

Cookies:-The regular eaters noticed the lack of butter. They missed its mouth feel, taste and texture once cooked. -Vegan eaters didn’t mind it not being there.-The kosher eater said that the cookies and chocolate chips tasted like high-quality kosher items, which is a good however very specific thing.-The far and away favorite was the Molasses Ginger. Tasters said the soft chewy consistency was best; the flavor complex and it would be great for any cookie lover, especially vegans.-The next favorite was the Oatmeal Raisin, which were generally liked. One taster said they were a bit undercooked/floury; another liked the undercookedness. -The Chocolate Chip came in dead last in this group. Tasters said the cookies were dry, mealy and had an unpleasant aftertaste. Perhaps it was a bad batch.

The overall verdict: if you need a great-looking foodie gift for an allergic, vegan or kosher loved one or love high quality dairy-free/nut-free goodies, Divvies is a great option. The packaging is high end, the popcorn is super yummy, the cookies great and the candy delicious.

2 comments:

Those look so amazing, it is terribly sad they all "may contain wheat." Then again, I don't need any further encouragement for my sugar addiction. One of these days I'm going to recommit to kicking it.

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Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW

I have had food allergies my entire life. I'm anaphylactic to all tree nuts and salmon; I’m also allergic to eggplant and some types of melons; and OAS to many fruits and vegetables. I live a full life and I am committed to helping other people with food allergies do the same.

My work has appeared in national and international media, including: ABCNews; Allergic Living; CNN; Huffington Post; New York Magazine; NY1; The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

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The content on this blog is based on my personal experiences and intended solely for entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional and the content on this blog is not to be considered medical advice.